Dear Cousin
by chromate
Summary: Nanako never thought visiting her cousin at school would cause so much chaos among: 1 the regulars, 2 the Ryoma-sama fanclub and 3 the coach's granddaughter! -COMPLETED-
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Nanako never thought visiting her cousin at school would cause so much chaos among: 1) the regulars, 2) the Ryoma-sama fanclub and 3) the coach's granddaughter!

Disclaimer: You know what I'm going to say.

Chapter 1

Somehow, Echizen Ryoma knew that today was going to be a long day.

In the morning he was greeted by western breakfast for five days in a row, then he stepped over Karupin's milk and splashed it all over the floor. While riding with Momoshiro to school, he fell asleep and was half a second late to realize he had got thrown out of the bicycle when his senpai turned a corner, which resulted in him getting late for tennis practice and had to run 20 laps around the tennis court as punishment. Seeing his bruises on his face, the fangirls couldn't wait to surround him and try to reach for his wounds, which he spent another 10 minutes to escape from the mob. Then he got punished by the teachers for forgetting to bring the homework for class and causing chaos in the corridors (Ryoma groaned. Stupid fangirls.), and had to stay for detention after school, which meant that he would be late for yet another practice.

Last time when Eiji was late consecutively, he received the mighty choice of either 50 laps or try 2 of Inui-senpai's latest inventions. The mere thought of the sadistic drink made Ryoma gulp. He sighed as he found a seat on staff room to help the teacher organize files. He just wished he could finish this as soon as possible then play tennis to relieve himself.

Meanwhile, a twin-braid girl was walking with her big-mouthed best friend towards the tennis court to see the male tennis team practice. They cheered for their senpai as the competition was approaching, yet of course their attention mainly focused on the renowned prince. The female tennis team practice usually ended before the male's, so they walked slowly after changing their outfits.

Ryuzaki Sakuno listened to her companion's never-ending compliments on Ryoma and Tennis, but she was not really paying attention. She found today's Ryoma a bit…weird. Not that he was a passionate person, but he seemed to be in a bad mood today. He seemed more annoyed than ever the moment he stepped into the classroom. And she could not find him in his favourite spot at the roof, where he usually slept and she would sit aside and watch him.

'So I was saying…Sakuno-chan are you even listening to me?' Tomoko suddenly questioned, noticing her friend's absent mind.

'Huh? Ah gomennazai…' she blushed a bit. She never liked to disappoint others, especially her good friend for years.

'You spaced out for no reasons…are you thinking about Ryoma-sama again?' she smirked evilly, always finding it amusing to tease the brown-haired girl about it.

'Mou…' before she could reply fully, she heard a female voice from their back.

'Did you say Ryoma?'

They turned to face a tall girl looking expectantly at them. The wind played with her long blue hair and her purple eyes blinked. Sakuno reckoned the girl might be two years older than them, as she seemed more mature than other girls of the same age. The school uniform clung to her body a bit tightly, revealing her curves that brown-haired student could only envy. Somehow she looked familiar, but she could not recognize her. She must be someone from another school…but why did she mention Ryoma's name?

'If you're talking about Echizen Ryoma, could you show me the way to the tennis court?' She smiled gently.

Sakuno nervously nodded while Tomoko just stared at the girl. Yet she found no reason to refuse her, somehow.

* * *

243 people, 217 of them girls…new record,' said the data-man, holding a notebook in one hand and counting the number of a special crowd outside the fence of the court.

'And they're all for Ochibi,' muttered Kikumaru, who swung his racquet. It was quite common now for the Ryoma-sama Fanclub was even bigger in high school than in middle school. 'According to my data it's not true, but more than 70% of them did come to see Echizen.' Adjusting his glasses, Inui smirked at Ryoma.

'Hn.' Damn, why did he have to face the same question and wily grins from his senpai everyday?

'Echizen is so popular,' grinned Momoshiro, who pinched the fifteen-year-old's face. 'Let's just focus on the match now.' Eiji laughed. 'Ochibi is no fun at all, as usual.'

They were practicing doubles as Ryuzaki Sumire (who was also the coach of Seigaku High's Tennis Team) wanted to try different double formation. Ryoma was paired with Eiji while Momoshiro was paired with Fuji. Although Ryoma sneered at the idea of playing double, he just wanted to end the practice quickly so he reluctantly tried cooperating in tennis. Quite amusingly, his pair worked quite well and they found themselves in the lead now, 4-2.

'RYOMA-SAMA!' high-pitched screams for Ryoma's name echoed in the court. Honestly speaking, Ryoma hated these. Not that he minded the attention, but not when these bunches of people followed him everywhere and screamed in annoying voices that could disturb his game.

He tried to look for the two familiar figures who were always there to watch him play. Not that he cared for both, he just wanted to see one of them, especially after such a chaotic day. Finding nothing, he mentally sighed and continued to focus on the game. It was his turn to serve.

'Ah, there he is.' Sakuno heard the girl said. She couldn't help but look at Ryoma and started to wonder who this pretty lady was to her _Ryoma-kun_.

Wait, what did she just think?

She shook her head, trying to keep clear consciousness of herself. Last time there was also a pretty girl who wanted to visit Ryoma, and they all mistook her as Ryoma's girlfriend. This time was probably just the same.

They shifted their attention to the game, as Ryoma threw the ball up into the sky, ready to strike. An ace, he thought, to keep Momo-senpai's mouth shut.

'Ryoma!' the girl yelled cheerfully.

He was stunned by the voice which he recognized, and he suddenly lost his balance, hence his control over his racquet, upon hearing the voice. The ball did not collide with the center as he expected it to be, but instead the frame made contact with it. The ball accelerated at a very high speed towards the opposite court.

It never bounced on the ground, but flew directly to the tree behind. Ryoma, Eiji, Fuji and Momoshiro heard the sound of it flashing across leaves, and a very weak 'pop' sound of landing.

The whole crowd grew silent as they witnessed Echizen Ryoma's first ever home run. Even Ryuzaki-sensei and Tezkua were astonished.

Ryoma turned, instead, towards Sakuno's direction, and widened his eyes as he saw who there was. The targeted girl put a hand over her mouth. 'Oh my, has he grown that rusty after all these time?'

Sakuno could only shiver.

* * *

'What are you doing here?' Ryoma tried not to sound cold, but could not help so when he had just embarrassed himself in front of all people. He had a damn pride to hold.

'Come on Ryoma, I didn't realize I calling you would cause such a chaos.' The violet-eyed girl sighed, handing him a ponta to calm him down. She knew that whenever he was in a bad mood, he needed his favourite drink.

'Hn.' He took the can and drank it, his other hand holding his trademark white cap that he had just taken off his head. 'Why are you here?' he asked the question again, still having no idea why the girl would appear in here. After all, he had not seen her in years.

She did not answer directly but smirked. 'Couldn't I come just to see you?'

Slowly, she walked towards the prince and embraced him, letting his head rest on her shoulder.

'I do miss you a lot.'

* * *

Behind the bushes and trees, the hiding senpai, the fangirls, Ryoma's followers (a.k.a. Horio and the others), Tomoko and last but not least Sakuno, heard everything.

'Wow…didn't know that Ochibi like older girls…' Eiji beamed while stating quietly. 'Shhh, he might hear us,' Fuji warned, his smile did not falter from his face. 'The interesting part is coming.'

'This girl is indeed very pretty…and she is not taller than Echizen a lot and seems very mature,' said Momoshiro, observing his kohai's interaction with the unknown, possible 'girlfriend'. 'Echizen got good taste.' But he soon regretted his words as Sakuno startled beside them, shaking silently. '…b-but of course I think Echizen looks cuter with s-someone who has been around him for years, right?' the spiked-hair tried to cover it up, but failed as they heard what the mysterious girl said next.

'Couldn't I come just to see you?'

And then they saw what they considered the greatest mystery in Seigaku High's history. The young lady hugged Ryoma. THE RYOMA who ignored every single fangirl every day. THE RYOMA who was cold to every single existing person, even yelling at his own father impatiently(as they had visited his place a few times). THE RYOMA who was cocky enough to insult any person around him.

And Ryoma did not struggle nor push her away. He let her shortened the distance between them.

'I do miss you a lot.' They heard the female vocalizing it softly.

They glanced at Sakuno carefully, hoping she would not break down or do anything stupid. But she just kept on kneeling behind the bushes. She looked with…disappointment, maybe? Or was that a hint of…jealousy?

'Ah, I miss you too…' they heard him mutter, but could not hear the following clearly as they kept a safe distance from them.

Meanwhile, the Ryoma-sama fanclub members looked at the scene with hearts broken. There their efforts in bringing Ryoma-sama to their circle were ruined in a few minutes, when this girl appeared and it seemed quite obviously that she had some hidden relationship with THEIR Ryoma-sama.

Action had to take place. They saw Ryoma left the girl and returned to the court.

Great.

Whoever took Ryoma-sama away from them was not to be forgiven.

-End of Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

First of all, I want to thank all dear reviewers who kindly submitted their reviews. THANKS A LOT! I have never received that many reviews within such a short period of time, and it is really encouraging to me. I don't mind people criticizing my story at all, and constructive reviews are strongly recommended. As for the question you all seem anxious to know, like Nanako's age problem and her relationship with Ryoma…please believe me I do know that. And they were intended to be in that way, and the whole thing will be revealed in the end. So don't worry.

Yet…I have to apologize that due to my workload in college, I really don't have much time to write, not to mention thinking of adding elements of humour in here. I try my best at this time, but it's really hard for me, as I'm suffering from mid-terms and other homework. Please forgive me and continue supporting this story!

* * *

Chapter 2

'Echizen.'

Ryoma groaned mentally. He knew very well after that infamous serve, he had to suffer.

'Buchou,' he turned timidly to face his ever-stony captain, who never seemed to smile in front of the tennis team members unless they won the championships. And it was just a barely noticeable smile.

'Run for 20 laps for that serve you made. It was an elementary error that you should not have made. You let your guard down.' Tezuka scolded. Frankly speaking, he let his emotions go too: his mouth made a perfect 'o' when he witnessed the serve that would last forever in Seigaku High's tennis history.

'Hai, buchou.' Turning around, he started running. He lost count of how many laps he had run today already, might as well end his tremendous day in running around aimlessly.

While he was running, he received various glares from his senpai-tachi and the people surrounding the tennis courts. Of course, he was used to all of these already, but it was somewhat…different. By the wily smiles of Momoshiro and Eiji, and that very calm smile of Fuji, Ryoma felt chills scrolling down his spine. Yes, this was just a perfect day.

He spotted Sakuno and Tomoka sitting on a bench, watching the regulars practise. 'Ryoma-sama, it will be your time to shine again once you're done with the punishment, so don't worry!' The loud-mouthed girl yelled joyfully. _As if I don't know I'm being punished_, Ryoma thought. However, his attention fell on the two girls next to his primary cheerleader. The blue-haired one smiled at him, and the brown-haired one just frowned and managed to squeeze a weak smile. Her eyes filled with sadness, Ryoma noticed, and his heart ached. He hated that look she gave him, and he mumbled to himself that there would be some explanation to make later on. He hoped not to give her the wrong idea, about his relationship with the taller girl. Echizen Ryoma was never as dense as everyone thought.

Or so he thought, as he failed to notice a bunch of _burning _fangirls whispering to each other furiously, eyeing the two cuties sitting on the bench with full hatred.

'We have warned that Ryuzaki girl to stop being so close to Ryoma-sama,' a blonde said, 'and now this…whoever-her-name-is appeared out of nowhere and HUGGED OUR RYOMA-SAMA!' 'What should we do?' 'Well, she needs to learn a lesson. Never mess with Ryoma-sama('s fangirls)!'

Back to the bench, the fifteen years old girl was struggling hard. Being a friendly person in nature she was trying to let the older girl enjoyed her time here, but she could not fully suppress her jealousy. She wished she could be more open to her feelings in public. Tomoka was an example, although in an extreme way. Yet being straightforward and extroverted was definitely not her personality, and she did not want to change herself that much. And somehow, even witnessing the girl's hug with Ryoma and listening to their 'intimate' conversation, she did not feel as bad as she thought she would be.

'So Sakuno-chan,' the girl spoke, 'how long have you known Ryoma?'

'Oh, even since he got back from America,' she politely replied. 'We attended Seishun Gakuen together and had been classmates ever since.'

'Oh even in high school? That's four years already,' she chuckled, eyeing the fifteen-year-old playfully. 'You two must be pretty close.'

Sakuno blushed immediately. Although she had heard this from Ryoma's fangirls before (when being cornered or confronted), she did not expect such a comment from someone she just knew for less than half an hour. 'Mou…we're just friends…'

'Did I say anything more than friends?' she teased, making Sakuno felt her cheeks burning. This is embarrassing, she thought. Suddenly she realized something.

'Ano…how come you know my name? I do not remember introducing myself properly.' She asked, looking into her violet eyes. She looked dumfounded by her question.

'Huh, don't you recognize me?' She continued. 'I'm Ryoma's…'

'Excuse me, miss,' their conversation were interrupted. They turned and saw three girls standing there, folding their arms in front of their chests. 'It is against school rules for non-students to get in without permission.

'It would be nice and appropriate if you follow us and get the standard procedures done.'

'Well, I guess I have no choice then.' She made an apologetic towards the twin-braided girl. 'I guess I'll meet you later, Sakuno-chan.' She stood and followed the girls, walking towards the school's main building.

Thousands of words were flowing in Sakuno's mind. _Ryoma's…Ryoma's what? Sister? No way, Ryoma-kun doesn't have any siblings…Girlfriend? No way, Ryoma-kun…_

Oops. That hit the bell.

In her imaginative mind, a mental picture hanged around. _A young boy and a young girl running happily in grassland, both smiling brightly. When they looked at each other, love sparkled in their eyes. The one day due to various reasons they had to part, yet they still kept in contact…_

Ryoma's childhood sweetheart.

Somehow Sakuno tried to convince herself that it's all wrong. But the more she tried to deny it, the more she found it possible. _Ryoma-kun lived in America for years before coming back to Japan. His parents are Japanese, so it makes sense that that girl does not look foreign at all…maybe Ryoma-kun lived in Japan before moving America? The girl looked older, but she was really beautiful…and she had a really good body…_Sakuno blushed_._ The more she thought, the more she realized she knew nothing much about the famed idol of the whole school. _What a terrible person I am_, she thought. _We have known each other for almost four years, and I don't even know much about him…_

Meanwhile, Ryoma was done with his punishment and was holding a racquet again. In a way he was glad Tezuka did not ask him to swing the racquets for a thousand times, like the freshmen usually did. He sighed in relief and purchased another ponta. The teenager was preparing to have a match with Fuji in five minutes, when he noticed a number of girls walking by. Normally he would not give a damn, but he heard some of them whispering things.

'…no one should be that close to Ryoma-sama without our permission.' _Oh great_. Why would he be surprised of some fangirls' talk?

'Definitely. First it was that Ryuzaki girl. Although we had warned her many times she still tried to get close to Ryoma-sama, always following him around. Who gave her that permission?' _Me_, Ryoma thought. Anyone would be better than annoying fangirls. He sighed silently. He knew that he owed Sakuno big. She had been confronted by these silly girls many times. Sometimes he or the senpai-tachi were there to stop them, but when they were not, Ryoma would always see some bruises or scars on Sakuno's arms and legs later on, though fortunately that did not happen much.

'…and that girl with that nasty blue hair. How dare she hug our Ryoma-sama like that?' _Our? Jeez, girls these days…wait. Did she mention the girl with blue hair?_

'Don't worry. Minako is taking good care of her.' The fifteen-year-old could imagine an evil smirk on the said girl's face. 'She will know never mess with Ryoma-sama again.' Hearing sound of giggles weakening, Ryoma gulped.

_This is bad_, the green-haired thought. If he did not do something, she would be in great trouble. He threw away his can of Grape Ponta, which was empty already, and caught up with the two girls whom he overheard their conversation. They were shocked to see him suddenly appeared in front of them and they just gasped, froze on their spots.

'Where is she?' he asked.

Hearing no reply, he lost his patience. 'Where is she?' He asked again, in a more dangerous tone.

'th-the female washroom o-on third floor…' the blonde one muttered while both of them stepped back in fear.

'Hn.' He snorted and ran towards the building, ignoring the waiting genius in the tennis court.

* * *

'Where is Echizen?' Taka asked. 'It was his time to play Fuji-senpai and he was nowhere to be seen.'

'I…I don't know…' everyone turned to look at the infamous juice-maker. 'The sudden appearance of the girl and the hug…they all surpassed my data…' he said weakly, almost falling onto the ground. 'My data…has been defeated…' Inui looked at the ground faintly, face grimaced. They sighed, knowing that Inui would break down whenever his data went wrong.

'Nya, but I never thought Ochibi would do such thing. Look at poor Sakuno-chan. She must be feeling rejected now.' Eiji, the acrobat, casually said. Even he was the most childish one among the regulars, he could not help but notice the frown on her face and the melancholy expression she put on the face.

'Yeah…who would have thought our dear kohai is more grown than we know?' Fuji smirked. He turned to Inui and eyed him sympathetically. 'Ne Inui, how about a match before Echizen comes back?' The data-man, who had lost all of his confidence in the supremacy of data tennis, reluctantly moved towards the baseline.

Momoshiro just sighed. Never had he thought that Echizen was so cruel. Hurting a girl who had been having a crush on him for years was unforgivable. Not to mention the shock when they actually hugged in public (well, technically they were all spying).

'Echizen…going out with cute, innocent Sakuno-chan while dating another beautiful girl…you dirty playboy!'

_End of Chapter Two

* * *

_

In case you're confused with Momoshiro's last sentence, well they had been teasing Ryoma and Sakuno for years, and you know how sometimes when things were said too many times, people would assume they're true…Momoshiro was just another victim of this.

Well that's chapter two. Sorry I really don't have much time to work on the story to make it perfect (this chapter was done while I am writing my essay), but I really hope you'll keep on reading this and the following chapters. Until next time =]


	3. Chapter 3

I apologize for the late update…but college life really is driving me crazy (I don't know how many times I have repeated this) and I got two tests in the coming week. But I know that if I don't start writing again I never will.

Yet I have to clarify first…recently my mind is more into the darker side of human mind. Re-reading _Bitter Virgin_ again, my recent reading on _Shitsurakuen_ plus my own research online for darker topics really made me lose all sense of humour. So if you find this chapter, or even this story, lame and stupid…I guess I can only apologize for that.

Thanks for those who had read and/or reviewed on previous chapter and on my one-shots, _The shy, the protective and the unpredictable_ and _Whatsername_. And special thanks to some reviewers who provided some ideas and opinions about my stories.

Disclaimer: Screw college. I wrote this anyway.

* * *

Chapter 3

He knew it. He just knew it. He thought he could grasp everything, neglecting his horrible morning, but things just kept on getting worse.

Dashing down the hallway and stairs, he did not dare to miss a single second. 'Damn those girls…' It was a cycle of recycled events: a girl approached him without screaming out his name loud, but just wanting to be friends. He could find an opposite sex to communicate with. The girl was treated very, very well by _them_. The girl was afraid to approach him. He confronted the gang. They tried to act cute. He ignored them and apologized to the victimized girl. The girl accepted his apology but would keep a safe distance from him onwards.

The fifteen-year-old sighed. Playing against that Monkey King or the Child of God was more relaxing than dealing with these mobs. For the past three years, whenever he could find a girl who: he could really talk to; was not completely obsessed with him; just wanted to be friends; did not mind if she did most of the talking part; the above cycle would happen again. It was as if they wanted him to turn homosexual and not talk to girls for the rest of his life. He had no idea why.

_Third floor…third floor…_noticing the sign, he ran as quickly as possible to reach his destination. Damn those stupid girls…_always causing trouble for me and others…._

He flung the door open. A male student opening the door of a female washroom was quite a scene, and practically everyone in the school knew who he was, but fortunately it was late already and nobody was in sight in the hallway. Further, it was just a washroom, right? It's not like he'd see anything inappropriate. It'd just be quick: open the door, get her out, close the door. Done.

No one was watching anyway.

His gaze turned back to find his target.

* * *

'Where is that baka?' Momoshiro complained. Fuji was half-way through his match with Inui and Echizen was nowhere to be seen. It was a good thing that Tezuka was asked by the teachers to help in some stuff, so the strict captain was not supervising the practice right now. But if Buchou found out that Echizen had been skipping practice…he gulped. He rather drank Inui's juice than to think of the consequences.

'Echizen?' Taka walked towards his kohai, wiping away his sweat on his forehead. 'I saw him running towards the campus building a while ago.

'Why would Ochibi go back to school campus now?' Eiji popped out of nowhere, sipping his energy drink. His expression turned into a wide evil smirk. 'Meeting some girl perhaps?'

'Speaking of which, where is that girl? You know, the one with long blue hair?' Momoshiro looked around and found no trace of her. 'Even Sakuno-chan is missing.' Eiji added. True, Momoshiro could not see the usual silent cheerleader of their favourite kohai around the court.

The spike-head thought of what happened today. Firstly, they found out Ochibi had a girlfriend older than he was. That was stunning. Secondly, he showed emotions, and it was a hug. That was a first. Thirdly, the green-haired skipped practice. That was also a first, neglecting the time he got punished by teachers. Lastly, the certain figure that watched them practice for three years had gone missing.

Today was a strange day.

* * *

Ryoma rushed into a nearby empty classroom, closed the door and hid himself behind the doors. He could hear sounds of hasty footsteps and screaming outside, and his inhaled rate increased more. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. That was certainly unexpected.

'_What are you doing to –'_

_He stopped, jaws on the floor. It was obviously not a scene he expected._

_Many, or in fact, all heads turned to look at him. It was as if time had slowed its pace. At that moment, he somehow managed to recall that the female's washroom on third floor was, actually, a changing room commonly used by female sports teams after their practice. And today, he remembered hearing Horio say that the girl basketball team would have extra practice today._

_Crap._

_Dozen pairs of eyes focused on him, the renowned cold 'Ice Prince' of Seigaku High. Ryoma could not help but allow his hormone to roar. Half the girls inside were just in their underwear. Some were just covering themselves with towels. The remaining, which he gave a short, very short, really very short, glance at, exposed themselves completely, seductively to his vision. Those attractive figure, the delicate skin, the water droplets on their arms and legs…_

Thinking about what just happened just made his face hotter, and he shook his head furiously to clear his mind. He had no idea if he was too shocked or too immersed in paradise not to have moved an inch. All he could remember were high-pitched screams, shouts of 'PERVERT!', shampoos thrown at him, and himself gaining back consciousness, desperately running away from the scene. Judging from the stomps outside, they were probably tracking him down.

He calmed himself down. He still needed to locate where Nanako was, or his maniac fangirls would do crazy things again. He opened the door slowly and peeped. Not a single person in sight. He swiftly moved to the stairs and tried another floor. If she was not in this floor, where was she?

* * *

Pearl violet-eyed blinked.

'Didn't you girls say that we're to do some sign-in stuff?'

Cold glares responded her confusion. 'Yes.' The tall girl looked at them as if they were insane.

'And this is a storage room.'

Before she could respond, the three teenage girls who accompanied or half-dragged her to the place left her side and jumped towards the door. A wicked grin was showed on each of their faces.

The operation was simple. Trap the irritating girl in the storage room or washroom, either one would do. Turn off the light. Lock her inside. Allow nobody around the area. Let her stay for the whole night. Simple yet effective in chasing away Ryoma-sama's filthy pursuers.

They heard stomping and yelling from upstairs, but decided to ignore it. They got more important things to do. Right after they stepped outside the room and pushed the door towards its initial position, they did not hear the sound of the rusted door colliding with the floor. Instead, a pair of hands prevented it from shutting her off.

'Seriously, you girls,' she flashed them a smirk, 'think that I would not have noticed this obvious act?' _I've been to high school too, she mentally noted_. She pushed the door wide open and stood triumphantly in front of them. The girls were taken aback: this girl was not like that Ryuzaki girl or others that they had dealt with before.

'I suggest you to back off now,' she stated while tidying her uniform. 'It won't be good if the school finds out you do such thing to a _foreign student_.' The blue-haired emphasized on the last two words, turning her back against them and started to walk away.

The girls gritted their teeth hard. How dare this girl insult them twice today? First she hugged Ryoma-sama, then she treated them as idiots. This could not be tolerated. The blonde girl of the group eyed a bucket of water nearby. It was filled with water, probably for cleaning the washroom on the other end of the floor. She quickly grabbed the bucket, and moved behind her enemy.

Nanako wasn't stupid. She knew the girls would do something again, so she glimpsed through her shoulder and noticed the impending event. Just as she moved aside to dodge the attack, her eyes fixed on the panting figure in front of her.

'What are you doing here?' Both exclaimed at the same time.

But she could not stop her movement. She had evaded the water from reaching her, but it just landed right on the teenage boy who was standing there.

'Oh my…' the blonde girl gasped, covering her mouth with one hand. The empty bucket now dropped on the floor, its sound echoing along the corridor.

He had no idea what just happened. He managed to find her, only to be greeted with plenty of cold water. Not to mention the smell. No matter how flexible or agile he was at the tennis court, finding his cousin in no way linked with a warm greeting of old janitor's bucket of water.

The atmosphere had never been any tenser. Ryoma blinked in surprise, while water droplets falling from his soaked hair. The frightened girls fled almost immediately, while yelling 'forgive us Ryoma-sama!' or simply screamed in panic at top of their lungs. Nanako looked at the junior in awe. In the first place she did not know why he was here when he should be practicing with his team. And secondly, the stupefied countenance on his face was priceless. Her uncle would die a happy man just to have seen that look for a split of second.

'Hey, are you alright?' She broke the silence and walked towards him, shaking him slightly. Ryoma, who was now very aware of his condition, could not find the right phrase to say. _Thanks to you I got myself into this? _

'Echizen, why are you here?'

And as if things were not good enough yet, he heard the stoic voice of his buchou echoing in his mind behind his body. What perfect timing. 'You should be practising at the court.'

Sighing heavily, he turned to face his captain. _How many laps this time? Fifty?_

'I also received complaints from the female basketball team members that you sexually harassed them. Peeking into the female changing room is quite an act, Echizen.'

He froze. He was doomed. Ruining his reputation originally would have been a minor thing, but to be recognized as a pervert, like his father, was something he could not accept. Tezuka inspected his kohai from head to toe. Shocked? No. He still kept an indifferent face, but gave a short sigh.

'It seems that you let your guard down a lot today, Echizen. Go home.'

Well, fifty laps were expected. Wait.

What the heck did he just say?

He looked at Tezuka disbelievingly. There was no way this was the captain he had known for years. Tezuka ignored his suspicious stare and turned to Nanako and bowed politely. 'I'm sorry for all the trouble he had caused, and if you may excuse me.' Nanako bowed back and watched as the shadow of the tall figure withdrew from their vision.

'Echizen. Tomorrow. One hundred laps around the school campus.'

That snapped Ryoma back to reality. He groaned but knew it was futile. He could swear Tezuka must be smiling now. The captain really spent too much time with Fuji-senpai together.

He looked at the girl next to him. He had pretty good guess of why she was here, dressing up as a high school student, but he would confirm that later. 'Wait for me near the tennis court. I'm going to take a shower and change my outfit.' He stated plainly and started to move, only to find her eyeing him back.

'What?'

She could not suppress her wide grin.

'Peeking into the girl's bathroom?'

The green-haired adjusted his soaked white cap. Hearing this from her did not make him feel any more comfortable.

'Like father like son, I guess.'

He cursed, or more likely lowered his head in defeat. This was definitely not his day. Definitely.

-_End of Chapter 3

* * *

_

I guess this did not turn out so bad, did it? Well…that's for you to judge. Oh, and I just realize Sakuno did not appear in this chapter…actually that was just because I did not want to put her in this yet. This is still a RyoSaku fic, I promise, and the next chapter will have lots of Ryosaku moments.

Again, reviews and criticism are always welcome.

The next is going to be the last chapter of Dear Cousin. Questions you have from reading the previous chapters will, hopefully all, be explained in next chapter, so please stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry for the wait…but here it is! The final chapter of this story! I hope you'll like this chapter as well.

Disclaimer: Thanksgiving is coming! Enjoy everyone!

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Chapter 4

As he walked her towards the school gate, Ryoma knew he would receive various suspicious stares from students who were, somehow, still at school. Yet he mentally told himself not to mind them. He already had a day in the life already. Fortunately for him, Tezuka had asked the girls not to spread the rumour (or fact) that Echizen peaked in the changing room, or else his remaining years in Seigaku high would be another nightmare.

Furthermore, he was sure that Kikumaru, Momoshiro and Inui were eavesdropping behind the bushes, as practice was over already. Well, _it's not like they're going to get anything new_, he thought.

'Well, I'll go now.' He raised his head to meet the girl in tight high school uniform. She flipped her blue hair from her face and tidied her short skirt comfortably. 'Will you be on time tonight? I'll be doing the cooking.'

He could hear soft gasps and a hiss of 'sshhh, he might hear us'. He sighed. Why had not his senpai-tachi grown a little mentally over the years?

'Yeah, I'll be on time.' He shortly replied, breaking eye contact with her. While Momoshiro cursed loudly of his coldness to pretty girls, Nanako just chuckled at the expected reaction. 'Ja ne,' she waved and retreated from the school area. The green-haired lad just gave a small nod and watched her leave.

'Ochibi!'

_Here we go._

'Probability of Echizen interested in older girls, 64%. I must thank you for the new data.'

_Why, you're welcome._

'Oi Echizen! Is that the way to treat a young, elegant, beautiful, attractive, mature lady?'

_Or are you just luring me to introduce you to her?_

'But I really did not expect Ochibi to take interest in girls, especially older ones!'

_Great. Another assumption about me being gay._

'The data should be complete now.'

…

'But Echizen you Casanova! You have Sakuno-chan already! How can you double-date at the same time, and bringing a girl from another school to here? Poor Sakuno-chan has her heart broken!'

_Great, now I become a – what?_

'Ryuzaki?' He blinked.

'Oh so you're listening,' the dunk specialist scratched his head, 'yes, Sakuno-chan's face turned very sad when you two talked in private, and shared some intimate hugs and whispers.'

What the hell?

He was trying to figure out what his senior meant, then a bell rung.

'She,' they held their breath, 'is not my girlfriend, if that's what you're wondering.'

'Which "she"?' They asked in unison, confused over his choice of word. Was he referring to the blue-haired beauty that surprised the whole club today, or the coach's granddaughter whom they had been teasing for years?

'Che.' He said, ignoring them and walking back to the school building.

'Hey, where're you going?' Momoshiro was hoping to lecture him more, and he did not expect Ryoma to listen to him then ignore him that quickly.

'To get my stuff.' He simply shrugged, glancing at his senpai-tachi's already packed bags. 'I won't join burgers.' In other words, _no need to wait for me_.

'Wait Ochibi!' Kikumaru yelled, but the shadow of the prodigy was without a trace already. They all sighed.

'I feel so bad for Sakuno-chan.' Eiji stated while they walked to their usual gathering place after practice. 'Ochibi is such a cruel monster who breaks her heart again and again.'

'Hmm…' Inui flipped through his notebook furiously. After his data had failed him once, he wanted to make sure he made perfect calculation on Ryoma's action now. 'But hadn't this happened before?' Inui stopped on one page of his thorough notes on Ryoma. 'Three years ago, a girl also appeared to be his girlfriend but she turned out to be a spy. We also don't know anything about this new girl that appeared today.'

The tall spiked-head just kept on cursing the fifteen-year-old, ignoring Inui's data.

* * *

As much as she liked to watch sunset, Sakuno wasn't really in the mood today. It had been too much excitement, for the mysterious pretty girl to pop out of nowhere, then witnessing her…hugging Ryoma was too much of a sight to her. She needed a place to calm down, so she chose the rooftop. She always enjoyed sitting here, eating lunch or admiring the scenery of the city. She could easily find peace here.

Unbeknownst to her, Ryoma had slowly entered the scene, eyeing her from a safe distance. Slowly he walked towards her, and muttered a soft 'hey'.

The twin-braided girl turned around quickly, shocked by his presence. 'Ryoma-kun? Why are you here?'

'I asked Coach Ryuzaki and she said you wouldn't be going home with her, saying that you would stay behind for a while, so I figure you'd be here.'

She avoided his direct gaze and continued to look at the setting sun. She was trying her best to concentrate on the crimson city, instead of looking at his golden orbs. Ryoma found this situation extraordinarily awkward, and tip-toed to her back, wrapping his arms around her thin waist gently.

'Is this because of the girl today?' He asked before she had a chance to gasp. She blushed for a second, but gradually let her consciousness took control. 'Mou, Ryoma-kun, it's okay. I understand.' She broke from his embrace, still refusing to make eye contact. She smiled bitterly at the orange sky.

'Ryoma-kun deserves someone prettier, smarter, more on his class.' She did not show any change in expression, still carrying an unpleasant smile with her lips. 'I'm just nobody…compared to her.'

'What are you –'

'Please,' she interrupted, 'let me finish first.'

Ryoma stopped. What the hell was she talking about? They were fine beforehand, and this crazy day just seemed to ruin every about him to no end.

'I have a great time these few months.' She spoke in between sobs. 'I…I really thank you for allowing me to get close to you, and I know my position very well. After all, I'm just an ordinary, clumsy girl who only brings trouble to your side –'

This time Ryoma interrupted her, with his lips that sealed her words. He had been listening, and he had an idea of what she meant. Every word she said made sense all of a sudden, and given that he's a person more of actions then words, he decided to fulfill her wish.

They broke off after a few seconds, and as they panted for air, Ryoma out his hand on her left cheek. 'Does this prove anything?'

She looked dumbfounded and surprised, for she was quite convinced that he had another person in mind. 'But that girl, you said you missed her a lot…'

'I said I missed her cooking. She cooks food better than oka-san does.'

Sakuno felt her heart sank even more. So they were even on routine please-eat-my-homemade-food process without her knowing.

'You missed a serve when she yelled your name.'

'Because I didn't know she would be here.'

Her tone turned accusing.

'You hugged her.'

'I haven't seen her in years.'

Sakuno's hope was not revived completely. She knew that girl was someone important to him, and her previous hypothesis did not seem to make any sense now after what he had said.

'She's my cousin.'

She stopped thinking.

She blinked.

Hard.

'What?' She could only manage to exclaim that word out after a whole minute of silence.

Ryoma wanted so much to laugh at her priceless expression, but decided not to. 'I thought I had shown you her pictures in my place before. Don't you recognize her?' He exhaled deeply.

* * *

_Sakuno reckoned the girl might be two years older than them, as she seemed more mature than other girls of the same age. The school uniform clung to her body a bit tightly, revealing her curves that brown-haired student could only envy. Somehow she looked familiar, but she could not recognize her. She must be someone from another school…

* * *

_

'_Ano…how come you know my name? I do not remember introducing myself properly.' She asked, looking into her violet eyes. She looked dumfounded by her question._

'_Huh, don't you recognize me?' She continued. 'I'm Ryoma's…'

* * *

_

She wanted so desperately to find a hole to hide herself, as images of pictures of Nanako-san, along with Nanjirou-san, Rinko-san and Ryoma-kun floated into her mind.

'Why…why was Nanako-san here, and dressed like a senior high student?' Sakuno timidly asked. She was honestly really embarrassed over her misunderstanding, but Ryoma seemed not to mind that much.

'She had been attending a scholarship programme in London for two years, and she was to return within these few weeks. I forgot that it was today.' Ryoma admitted his forgetfulness. 'She used her previous senior high school uniform as disguise to…' then he trailed off. Sakuno noticed his face grew redder, and she became more confused.

'Ryoma-kun, I couldn't hear your last phrase.'

'She wanted…to see you.'

This time, it was Sakuno's turn to flush furiously. 'M–me?' she exclaimed.

'Yes.' Ryoma whispered, standing next to her to welcome the entrance of the dusk. 'She is the only one that I inform…about us, and she wants to meet you directly, to see who you are and if I am someone who just chooses a girlfriend for her appearance over everything else. She told me these before she left.'

Sakuno raised her eyebrows to meet Ryoma's soft squeeze on her nose.

'And I think I didn't disappoint her.' Ryoma winked, causing her to blush more.

'She was like a real sister to me,' Ryoma continued, 'and she kept this from my parents also, so she is the only one that knows about us going out.'

Sakuno gave a sigh of relief that their secret relationship of five months was kept successfully, after all. Although she had not met Nanako officially, she trusted Ryoma that he would not make any rash irrational decision.

'So…' she saw his grin grew wider, more devilish. 'What have you been worrying about, after she came?'

Sakuno felt her cheeks getting hotter and hotter. 'Well…it's a long story.' Telling him that she thought his cousin was in fact his childhood sweetheart would make her a laughter for the rest of her life.

'How about you share with us over dinner? It's half past six already.' He casually pointed out how late it was, and they should leave the school before the gate got locked.

Sakuno nodded as he led her to leave the rooftop. While approaching the exit, she thought carefully about what he said. 'Us?' She asked.

'Do you want to have dinner at my place? Oyaji and oka-san were out of town, so it would only be Nanako and me.' He said as they walked away from the white building. 'I…' Sakuno blinked curiously as Ryoma flushed a little, holding her hand, 'I want to introduce you to my mother. Officially.'

She was taken aback, as Ryoma sensed her hand twitch slightly. 'It's fine if you don't want to,' he said, scarcely disappointed. He wanted them to meet, so he needed not to hide anymore. Besides, he trusted his mother would not tell this to his oyaji, who would just annoy him every minute when they were together.

He felt his cheek moistened. He looked at Sakuno who tip-toed to compensate for their height difference. She smiled warmly.

'I'd like to.'

Ryoma smiled, as he led her to his place and Sakuno rested her head on his shoulder, wrapping his arm with hers protectively. Even though he had just gone through probably the craziest day in his life, he felt like their bond grew stronger instead. Unbeknownst to him, Sakuno thought so too. He didn't know how, she didn't know why, but they would gladly accept the way it was.

-The End

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I'm not really sure if this ending reaches everyone's expectations and suits most of you…but I cannot really think of ending it in another way. If you're wondering 'what the hell they were secretly dating?', yes it was intended when I first started writing this story. I have been wondering if anyone could have been able to guess so =p

This is the last chapter of Dear Cousin. Thanks for everyone who has read/reviewed the story. It really surprised me at first on how many of you like this fic. Honestly, I did not expect that much reviews/hits/alerts regarding this fic. It's really fun writing this, though I do not want to further continue this, as it will eventually destroy the story or make this sounds more boring. And…I like the way it is now, so I'd keep it this way =]

Once again, thanks for everyone who reads and reviews this fic. I really did not expect this story to be that popular when I first started. My other story, _So This is Christmas_, will be updated soon, and I hope you'd like that fic too, as that's my first Prince of Tennis fanfiction. I'll continue writing other new stories too (see my profile for some summaries of them) and I hope you'll continue reading my fics in the future. =]


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